Wei Yilin

Five generations in the Wei family before Ilin were practitioners of various specializations. Wei Yilin himself was a professor of medicine at Nanfeng for some time. In 1343 (1337 ^[1] , 1345 ^[2] ) he published the work “Shii-Desyaofang” (Effective Formulas of Generations of Physicians), in which he combined the knowledge of previous Chinese medical literature and the practical knowledge accumulated by doctors practicing for five generations in his family .

This work in 20 volumes covers all 13 sections into which medicine is divided in the Yuan era. This work is still an important source for practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine, describing therapeutic massage, acupuncture, containing a large number of recipes for medicinal herbs.

Especially valuable are special chapters on bone cutting and the treatment of combat wounds.

His specialized chapters on osteotraumatology are the first detailed records of this kind in the history of traditional Chinese medicine. Fractures and dislocations of four limbs, a fracture of the spine, injuries and injuries from arrows, and the corresponding manipulations and treatment are examined in detail. Various medical instruments are also described. For the first time, reposition by traction in the treatment of spinal fracture is described. It is 600 years earlier than Davis in England first described reposition by traction (1927).

Wei Yilin advocates the removal of bone fragments and the alignment of the edges of broken bones before splicing, similar to the practice accepted by modern physicians. These methods of treating fractures were already known before, but were not generally accepted, and many traditional doctors sought to avoid surgery as much as possible, put all bone fragments in place, etc.

Wei’s method of reposition of wrist dislocation is identical to that used today. He proposed to fix a forearm fracture with four wooden planks, which was a development of the provisions of the Xianshou treatise Lishan Syuduan Mifan (Secret formulas for the treatment of injuries sent by deities).

Another important virtue of Wei's work was detailed recommendations on anesthesia; he recommends using anesthesia before each treatment for fracture and dislocation. Among anesthetics, he calls stramonium (mantolo), the Sichuan aconite root (utou); aconite powder is considered his invention. He pays considerable attention to the dosage of anesthetics regarding the age, health and blood loss of the patient. ^[3]

Volume 16, dedicated to ophthalmology, is called the “Lunmu theory." A significant part of it goes through the Chinese medium to the ancient Indian treatise Sushrut-samhita of the Ayurvedic compendium Uttara-tantra , traditionally attributed to Nagarjuna (in previous Chinese treatises Nagarjuna was called Lunshu, literally "dragon tree", and Lunmu is a variant of the same name with the replacement of one and the unicorns " another). Wei's work for the first time contains a mention of 72 eye diseases with their classification, and also introduces the theory of eight inclusions. The theory of eight inclusions, based on the practice of fortune telling about the future, is original, and although it is repeated in subsequent medical writings of the Ming era, it is not found in Sushrut-samhita or in medical treatises of the Song era. Probably, it was Wei’s book that became the model of the medical textbooks of the Ming Dynasty, since the theory of “Eight inclusions” is repeated there. ^[2]

• 危 亦 林 医学 全书 — —— 唐宋 金元 名医 成 大成 (Wei Yilin Medicine Encyclopedia —— Collection of achievements of famous doctors of the Tang, Song, Jin and Yuan era) ： 许敬生 主编 (editor Xu Jingsheng), 中国 中 医药 出版社 (Chinese Publishing House on Chinese medicine and pharmaceuticals), 2006. ISBN 7801567099

• 危 亦 林 @ hudong.com/wiki
• 危 亦 林 @ baike.baidu.com